Latest News:Autumn
Ama Dablam:
Camille Kinny from Sydney Australia, age 20: The
Youngest Woman to reach the summit!! Here is her short
story in her words....
Check here for the full dispatch.

Introduction: Dear
EverestNews.com readers, My name is Jay Reilly, a
31 yr old Australian, and, the newest member on
the Leadership Team for SummitClimb.com I come
from a very strong rock climbing background, and
have been a full time Instructor in this field for
7 years. I have climbed in most Australian areas,
New Zealand, and East Coast USA with people like
Henry Barber and Marc Chauvin. My love of the
mountains started in 1998 in North Conway, New
Hampshire on the ice cliffs of Crawford Notch.
Since then I have climbed and guided three season
in New Zealand's Mt Aspiring region, trained the
Australian Southern Traverse team in snowcraft and
ice climbing in the Australian Alps, and co-led,
with Dan, two successful expeditions to Nepal -
Ama Dablam and Pumori, summiting on both
occasions.

We share a simple common philosophy -
Safety first. Respect for the mountain and environment. Respect for the people
and culture. To ensure this, we spend a lot of time and effort working to
build a good team and selecting and training our Sherpa staff. Our Staff
return to us year after year. This is a good thing, as we are able to
continually build our relationships and offer them more. We review old and
teach new climbing skills, at Kathmandu's cool new Pasang Lamu Climbing
Centre, rescue skills and client care. On a recent trip, our woman and men
Sherpa staff contributed hugely to the success of an expedition, because of
their training. They were able to anticipate the climbers' needs and react
accordingly. Believe it or not, we have women Sherpas who climb together with
us to the summit! Not only are our staff highly trained, they are also
outfitted with necessary equipment. We never send a Sherpa to altitude without
the correct equipment. Kind members bringing gear from their home countries
donate some equipment. We also provide a gear allowance so any staff member
can buy what he needs before the trip. We deeply respect the people and
cultures of Nepal, offering assistance whenever we can. During our trek to the
mountains, we pass through many villages. We carry an extensive medical kit
and can treat sick or injured villagers, who otherwise would have to suffer in
silence. In fact - a portion of our funds always go directly to building
health posts and schools in the villages our Sherpas come from. Its our way of
putting something back into the families and communities that produce some of
the kindest, toughest and most accomplished Sherpas you will find in the
Himalaya.

Whilst on the mountain, we embrace the Sherpa belief that Gods live on the
mountaintops and act accordingly. We respectfully participate in the local
customs and religious ceremonies - these are actually a lot of fun and very
interesting.

All the rubbish that we accumulate is taken off the mountain and out of our
basecamp and returned to Kathmandu for disposal. We are working with a local
charity, the Mount Everest Trust, to reduce the use of firewood and save the
remaining forests.

Thanks for listening and we will send you more info and news about how our
expedition is coming together tomorrow!